When, some years ago, I was researching my family history, one of the first tasks was to talk to all my living relatives about their recollections of the family. My father related to me the sad tale of the Scholefields.
William Scholefield was married to my Aunty Nance whom I vaguely recall from my early childhood (there is a photograph of Aunty Nance at my birthday party some time before we moved away from Sunderland).
William was Chief Engineer Officer of the S.S. Joseph Swan, a 239' Steam Collier of 1571 tons burden built by Austins of Sunderland in 1938. She had triple expansion steam engines by the North East Marine Engineering Co. of Sunderland and Wallsend developing 193 n.h.p. and a top speed of 9.5 knots.
On Tuesday the 3rd of September 1940, the Joseph Swan left the Tyne bound for London, having loaded with coal at Blyth, as part of Convoy FS.271 escorted by the destroyers Valorous and Westminster. A sloop, the Shearwater, joined the convoy later. The convoy arrived off Southend on the 5th, or to be more accurate, what was left of it arrived.
On the night of the 4th, North East of Great Yarmouth, the convoy was attacked by motor torpedo boats of the 1st Flotilla. About 30 miles off Cromer, the S.21 sank the colliers Corbrook and New Lambton. Fortunately, the crews of both vessels were rescued.
Between buoys 56 and 55A, the S.18 sank the Dutch collier Nieuwland with the loss of eight lives and the Joseph Swan. There was one survivor from the Joseph Swan. The S.22 sank another collier, the Fulham IV, two miles North of buoy 55A. Her crew were all rescued. Yet another collier, the Ewell, was damaged by S.54.
The body of Alexander Robertson Pirie, Master of the Joseph Swan, washed ashore in Holland where he was buried. The rest of the crew were lost at sea and are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial.
The UKHO wreck report gives two different reported positions for the sinking of the Joseph Swan ...
52°50N 2°09E and 52°46N 2°10E (these would have been OSGB36 datum coordinates). From the other reports, I'm inclined towards the latter location, I think that the first position refers to when the attack first started. It would help if I could identify the locations of buoys 55A and 56 but I've been unable to find any information on that front.
Of course, in all of the confusion at night, under attack from a flotilla of S-Boats, it would be a miracle if the reported positions were spot on. Subsequent sonar surveys of the area have not found any indication of the wreckage of the Joseph Swan.
One day soon, if not this year then next year I hope, we shall sail Brigantia out to the area, somewhere around 52°46.03N 2°09.91E (WGS84 coords) and lay a wreath to my uncle.
Postscript
There is a further twist to the tale of the Scholefields. Williams son Jack, my first cousin twice removed, also served in colliers on the East Coast convoys. He was torpedoed not once but twice, surviving both times. It is bitterly ironic that having survived the worst that the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe could throw at him, he was killed in the 1952 Harrow rail disaster.
And there may yet be another twist to this tale ...
Robert Richardson, the Second Engineer Officer of the Joseph Swan, was married to Mary Elizabeth Dykes Richardson. Dykes is my mothers maiden name and it's far from common, especially in the North East. It is possible, indeed it might reasonably be said to be likely, that both the engineering officers on the Joseph Swan were my relatives.
The crew of the SS. Joseph Swan ...
Alexander Robertson PIRIE, 56, Master
Robert Henry COOPER, 61, Chief Officer
William SCHOLEFIELD, 56, Chief Engineer Officer
Robert. O.W. RICHARDSON, 38, Second Engineer Officer
James Patrick KELLY, 22, Able Seaman
Roland John JOHNSTON, 19, Able Seaman
John JOHANSSEN , 47, Able Seaman
Albert BAUMAN, 40, Able Seaman
Andrew W. ANDERSON, 27, Able Seaman
William Ranson ORD, 40, Donkeyman
Thomas H. OLEY, 32, Fireman
John William WATLEN, 37, Fireman
William HART, 31, Fireman
Noel S. BROWN, 30, Fireman
Charles B. MASON, 44, Deck Hand
Thomas JAMESON, 35, Steward
plus the sole survivor (name unknown)
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